Most Memorable Milspouse Moments: Part 2
Welcome to AWN’s Monthly Recon Rendezvous link up! We’re so glad you’re here. As the name implies, Recon Rendezvous is a place of community and connection. It’s an opportunity to explore and learn about our fellow military supporters’ lives, victories, trials, and experiences.
Each month, we “rendezvous” here to provide information, resources, and encouragement. So, do some “reconnaissance,” link up, swing by your “neighbor,” and leave a comment.
Imagine this: A handful of close friends (or in our case, battle buddies) are miraculously back in the same zip code, be it for a few months or just a few moments.
You gather around the fire pit on the back patio; you pour yourself a beverage of choice. It takes only a couple of seconds before someone says it…
“Remember that time when…”
Memories. They can be treasured. They can be joyous. They can be painful. But either way, they are something that makes up who we are and how we got to “the now.” Memories are important. That’s why we are reflecting on our own most memorable milspouse memories in this current miniseries (if you missed last month’s installment, read it here).
Before we jump into the amazing reflections submitted by our AWN followers, I’d love to share another couple of my most memorable military spouse memories.
Unlike the memory I shared last month (all about how I became a milspouse), this memory is less joyful but yet still precious to me.
This first happened in January 2012. I won’t go into all the details, because this isn’t the “All-About-Sharita-Show,” but I would like to share the story of our first pregnancy. Hubs and I had been married more than a year and thought it was about time to start “trying-not-to-try” to start a family. Because, apparently, that was the next step in our military family life.
It wasn’t long when we found out that we were pregnant. Yes, the State of My Uterus was “Occupied.” Unfortunately, I was super anxious about the whole thing, and (naturally) my husband was away at Pre-Ranger school training—a couple of weeks with no phone contact. He finally called the day before he was coming home for a quick break, and I blurted it out. We were going to be parents.
We spent a short weekend together and he was off to Ranger School. And friends, let’s just say I was a hot mess.
I was still classified as a “newlywed,” and I had guarded myself from getting to know other military spouses because I thought (wrongly) that everyone was all drama. Then, the one thing that I had been obsessing about happened: I had a miscarriage.
I was crushed and had no way to tell my husband because the experience didn’t qualify as a Red Cross message. I was distraught. It was nearing the end of Darby Phase, and my husband finally called.
At that moment, he chose to opt for an “admin drop” and come home to be with his grieving wife.
While that memory is something I would never wish on anyone else, it’s an experience I’ll never forget. A lot of lessons were learned in the process by both my husband and myself (more than space will allow in this post), but we grew so much during that season—in our relationship, as individuals, and in our faith.
We’re now happy to report that some other memorable milspouse memories occurred after that, when we welcomed our daughter into the world the next March, then recently added our new son to the mix in February 2017.
So friends, that’s another one of my most memorable milspouse moments. Let’s see what others our AWN followers would like to add…
“My husband had to spend a year in Korea. He left when our youngest was a year old. The Christmas he was gone, my son got a soldier action figure that had absolutely everything. You can dress him in his ACUs, boots, dog tags… the works! Of course, he loved this more than any of the other gifts because it was Daddy. For some reason, he always wanted ‘daddy’ naked. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why. One day, I saw him actually getting ‘daddy’ dressed. I was completely shocked, so I stayed quiet, acted like I wasn’t paying attention, and let him do his thing. He got ‘daddy’ dressed in his ACUs, put on his boots and his dog tags, walked him over to the door, and said, ‘Bye daddy. Daddy go work.’ I broke down crying because my son, who wasn’t even 2 at the time, realized that when Daddy puts on his uniform it means he’s leaving. My unforgettable milspouse moment was when I realized my baby wanted ‘daddy’ naked because he never wanted him to leave for work.” — Raynessa O.
“My most memorable moment was when he was away and my daughter was diagnosed with a terminal illness. Twenty-four hours later, he was home and by our side! He’s the greatest father ever, and she has succumbed to all the negative outcomes the doctors told us. But my husband, Ryan, has been there, even when away, through it all, and is the best dad a kid could ask for. We’re still fighting and still loving life!” — Kate N.
“My most memorable military spouse moment is the moment I saw my husband walk into my hospital room right before I was supposed to have emergency surgery while he was deployed.” — Angela S. M.
“My most memorable milspouse moment is the love and support through gifts, visits, and phone calls when I was diagnosed with stage 3A breast cancer one month after my wedding and three months into a PCS move to Shreveport. I didn’t know a soul, so the outpouring of friendship was amazing to me.” — Crystal B.T.
“My most memorable is not my happiest, but hear me out. Our youngest daughter died at birth right before my husband’s first deployment. The amount of love, care, and support from his soldiers, command, and their families was unreal. That was when I knew that we are all in this together. One big family to help each other through whatever life brings our way. I am proud to call myself a military spouse.” — KittsFamily
“My most memorable military spouse moment was when my husband came home on emergency leave to see our brand new, premature baby girl. It was hard not having him there when I had her, but seeing him hold her for the first time is an image I will always cherish.” — Jen S.
Readers, do you have a most memorable milspouse (or military) moment? Comment below. Ready for Part 3? You can find it here.
My most memorable military spouse moment is the moment my husband met our son for the first time. He was one month old and it was at his Basic Training graduation. I’ll never forget that moment.
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